Hair cutter and guide assembly having coacting cutter positioning means



Sept. 13, 1966 R. J. KRAUS HAIR CUTTER AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY HAVING COACTING CUTTER POSITIONING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1, 1964 Robert J Kraus INVENTO R. Q0152 Sept 13, 1966 J KRAUS HAIR CUTTER AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY HAVING COACTING CUTTER POSITIONING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1964 Roberf J Kraus INVITNYOA.

United States Patent 3,272,209 HAIR (IUTTER AND GUIDE ASSEMBLY HAVING CUACTING CUTTER POSITIONING MEANS Robert I. Kraus, 155 Minor St., Dorchester, Mass. Filed Apr. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 356,582 6 (Ilaims. (Cl. 13245) This invention relates to a novel and useful hair cutter and head mounted guide combination designed to enable inexperienced persons to cut mens hair.

Many types of head guides and the like have heretofore been designed for the purpose of assisting persons to prop erly cut mens hair. Some of these previous attempts at providing a head mounted hair cutter guide have met with success but most have had drawbacks and disadvantages which have rendered them less than completely acceptable.

The hair cutter and head mounted guide combination of the instant invention is constructed in a manner whereby inexperienced persons may properly cut a mans hair. Further, the combination is also constructed in a manner whereby a man may cut his own hair in a satisfactory manner.

While most hair cutter guides heretofore designed have been operable to some extent to enable one inexperienced person to cut a mans hair with some success, they have not been constructed in a manner whereby a man may cut his own hair.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a hair cutter and head mounted guide combination constructed in a manner whereby a man may cut his own hair.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hair cutter and head mounted guide combination in accordance with the immediately preceding object including a support frame adapted to be supported from the head of the person whose hair is to be cut with an arcuate guide member being pivotally secured at one end portion of-the support frame for rotation about an upstanding axis passing substantially through the center of the head of the person wearing the support frame. In this manner, with the arcuate guide member curving outwardly and downwardly away from the center of the top of the persons head whose hair is to be cut, a mechanical hair cutter may be engaged with the guide and moved longitudinally therealong so as to properly guide the hair cutter as it is moved over the head of the person wearing the support frame.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a combination in accordance with the preceding objects including an arcuate guide constructed of stiff but deformable material whereby the guide may be readily contoured so as to conform to the contour of the persons head whose hair is to be cut.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hair cutter supporting carriage mounted on the arcuate guide for movement longitudinally therealong and including abutment means adapted to slidingly engage the head of a person whose hair is being cut. In this manner, not only the guide but also the abutment means carried by the carriage are utilized to properly guide the hair cutter as it is moved over the head of the person whose hair is being cut.

Yet another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a hair cutter supporting carriage including means for supporting a hair cutter for movement generally radially of the arcuate path of movement of the carriage relative to the arcuate guide member.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object is to provide coacting means on the hair cutter and the guide member for effecting radial outward movement of the hair cutter relative 3,272,29 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 ice to its supporting carriage in response to movement of the carriage along the arcuate guide member from the lower end thereof toward the upper end thereof which is pivotally supported from the support frame worn by the person whose hair is being out.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a hair cutter and head mounted guide combination in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, longlasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the head of a man shown with the hair cutter and head mounted guide combination of the instant invention mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational View of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 as seen from the left side thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 with alternate positions of the arcuate guide member, hair cutter guide and hair cutter shown in phantom lines;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the hair cutter supporting carriage shown with a mechanical hair cutter operatively mounted thereon; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the support frame and arcuate guide member of the instant invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral ltl generally designates the head of a man whose hair 12 is to be cut by the hair cutter and head mounted guide combination of the instant invention generally designated by the reference numeral 14.

The combination 14 includes a support frame generally referred to by the reference numeral 16 constructed of a single piece of wire 18 and an elastic chin strap 20. The support frame 16 includes a first generally U-shaped portion 22 including a pair of generally parallel legs 24 and 26 which smoothly curve into and are interconnected at one pair of corresponding ends by means of a bight portion 28. The ends of the legs 24 and 26 remote from the bight portion 28 include slightly laterally offset portions 30 and 32 to which the opposite ends of the elastic strap 20 are secured by being looped back upon themselves as at 34 and 36 and secured by rivets 38 and 40. The laterally offset portions 30 and 32 terminate in backturned portions 42 and 44 which project forwardly at their free ends and curve inwardly and outwardly and then toward each other as at 46 and 48 and are joined together by means of an integral eye portion 50.

An arcuate guide member generally referred to by the reference numeral 52 is provided and includes a pair of generally parallel opposite sides 54 and 56 interconnected at their rear ends by means of an integral end member 58 and at their forward ends by means of an arcuate end member 66. The guide member 52 described thus far may be constructed of a single piece of wire. However, the guide member 52 also includes a center arcuate member 62 which has one end secured to the center of the end member 58 as at 64 and the other end secured to the arcuate end mmeber 60 as at 66. The end of the member 62 remote from the end member 58 includes a backturned portion defining an eye 68 by which the guide 52 is pivotally supported from the frame 16 for rotation about an axis extending through the eye 50 and also rotation about an axis extending through the eye 68.

A hair cutter carriage generally referred to by the reference numeral 70 is provided and includes a pair of opposite side members 72 and 74 which each include a pair of upstanding and generally parallel legs 76 and 78 interconnected at their upper ends by means of a bight portion 80 and at their lower ends by means of a projection defining a guide frame or abutment 82. The side members 72 and 74 are interconnected by means of transverse brace members 84, 86 and 8S and have a mechanical hair cutter assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 90 guidingly supported therefrom for movement toward and away from the foot portion 82, the mechanical hair cutter 90 including a housing 92 having pairs of opposite side upstanding and outwardly opening grooves 94 formed therein which slidably engage the corresponding legs 76 and 78.

In addition, it may be seen that each of the side memers 72 and 74 has a pair of aligned eyes 96 and 98 mounted on its legs 76 and 78, respectively and from FIG- URES 1-4 of the drawings it may be seen that the side members 54 and 56 are slidably received through the corresponding pair of eyes 96 and 98. In addition, the housing 92 has a centrally disposed aperture 100 formed therethrough in which the member 62 is slidingly received.

In operation, the support frame 16 is placed on the head with the first U-shaped portion 22 substantially horizontally disposed and passing in front of the forehead of the man 10. The chin strap is secured beneath the chin of the man 10 and it will be noted that the backturned portions 44 and 4-6 conform to the contour of the upper portion of the forehead of the man 10. Inasmuch as the frame 16 includes the U-shaped portion 22, the position of the frame 16 on the man 10 may be checked each time it is applied to the man 10 in order to be sure that the bight portion 28 of the first U-shaped portion 22 is horizontally disposed and that the laterally offset portions and 32 are approximately aligned with the upper portions of the ears of the man 10. Then, the hair cutter 90 may be moved from the position illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 4 of the drawings to the position thereof illustrated in solid lines, the upper end of the member 62 being spaced radially outwardly of the upper ends of the members 54 and 56 so as to gradually radially outwardly shift the hair cutter 90 as the carriage is moved from the lower end of the guide member 52 to the upper end thereof. The hair cutter is successively moved from the lower end of the guide 52 to the upper end thereof with the guide 52 being rotated at slightly different positions relative to the frame 16 as shown by the phantom line showings in FIGURE 3 of the drawings.

As hereinbefore set forth, the guide member 52 is constructed of stiff but deformable material such as wire and therefore may be readily formed so as to conform to the contour of the head of the man 10. Additionally, the spacing of the upper end of the member 62 laterally of the plane containing the upper ends of the members 54 and 56 may be varied by shaping the member 62 as desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A hair cutter and head mounted guide combination comprising support frame means adapted to be stationarily supported from the head of a person whose hair is to be cut by said combination and including a first portion adapted to be positioned above the top of said head when said frame means is supported therefrom, an arcuate guide member pivotally secured at one end portion to said first portion for rotation about an upstanding axis with the other end portion of said guide member curving outwardly and downwardly from said axis and adapted to embrace the adjacent portions of said head in spaced relation thereto, hair cutter supporting carriage means slidably mounted on said guide member for guided movement therealong, a hair cutter, means slidably mounting said hair cutter on said carriage means for movement generally radially of said arcuate guide member, said hair cutter and said guide member including coacting guide means for shifting said hair cutter relative to said carriage means in response to movement of the latter along said guide member.

2. A hair cutter and head mounted guide combination comprising support frame means adapted to be stationarily supported from the head of a person whose hair is to be cut by said combination and including a first portion adapted to be positioned above the top of said head when said frame means is supported therefrom, an arcuate guide member pivotally secured at one end portion to said first portion for rotation about an upstanding axis with the other end portion of said guide member curving outwardly and downwardly from said axis and adapted to embrace the adjacent portions of said head in spaced relation thereto, hair cutter supporting carriage means slidably mounted on said guide member for guided movement therealong, a hair cutter, means slidably mounting said hair cutter on said carriage means for movement generally radially of said arcuate guide member, said hair cutter and said guide member including coacting guide means for shifting said hair cutter generally radially outwardly of said guide member relative to said carriage means in response to movement of said carriage means toward said one end portion of said guide member.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said hair cutter carriage means includes projection means projecting inwardly of said guide member for guiding engagement with said head.

4. A hair cutter and head mounted guide combination comprising support frame means adapted to be stationarily supported from the head of a person whose hair is to be cut by said combination and including a first portion adapted to be positioned above the top of said head when said frame means is supported therefrom, an arcuate guide member pivotally secured at one end portion to said first portion for rotation about an upstanding axis with the other end portion of said guide member curving outwardly and downwardly from said axis and adapted to embrace the adjacent portions of said head in spaced relation thereto, hair cutter supporting carriage means slidably mounted on said guide member for guided movement therealong, a hair cutter, means slidably mounting said hair cutter on said carriage means for movement generally radially of said arcuate guide member, said hair cutter and said guide member including coacting guide means for shifting said hair cutter relative to said carriage means in response to movement of the latter along said guide member, said hair cutter carriage means including projection means projecting inwardly of said guide member for guiding engagement with said head.

5. A hair cutter and head mounted guide combination comprising support frame means adapted to be stationarily supported from the head of a person whose hair is to be cut by said combination and including a first portion adapted to be positioned above the top of said head when said frame means is supported therefrom, an arcuate guide member pivotally secured at one end portion to said first portion for rotation about an upstanding axis with the other end portion of said guide member curving outwardly and downwardly from said axis and adapted to embrace the adjacent portions of said head in spaced relation thereto, hair cutter supporting carriage means slidably mounted on said guide member for guided movement therealong, a hair cutter, means slidably mounting said hair cutter on said carriage means for movement generally radially of said arcuate guide member, coacting guide means between said hair cutter and said guide member to produce said radial movement in response to carriage movement along said guide member, said coacting guide means comprising an arcuate guide element carried by and generally paralleling said guide member and means carried by said cutter guidingly engaging said guide element, the end portion of said guide element corresponding to said one end portion of said guide member being disposed radially outwardly of said one end portion.

6. A hair cutter and head mounted guide combination com-prising support frame means adapted to be stationarily supported from the head of a person whose hair is to be cut by said combination and including a first portion adapted to be positioned above the top of said head when said frame means is supported therefrom, an arcuate guide member pivotally secured at one end portion to said first portion for rotation about an upstanding axis with the other end portion of said guide member curving outwardly and downwardly from said axis and adpated to embrace the adjacent portions of said head in spaced relation thereto, hair cutter supporting carriage means slidably mounted on said guide member for guided movement therealong, a hair cutter, means slidably mounting said hair cutter on said carriage means for movement generally radially of said arcuate guide member, coacting guide means between said hair cutter and said guide member to produce said radial movement in response to carriage movement along said guide member, said coacting guide means comprising an arcuate guide element carried by and generally paralleling said guide member and means carried by said cutter guidingly engaging said guide element, the end portion of said guide element corresponding to said one end portion of said guide member being disposed radially outwardly of said one end portion, said guide member and said guide element each being constructed of stiff but deformable material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,765,797 10/1956 Potente 132-45 2,766,761 10/1956 Melfi 13245 2,972,351 2/1961 Morgan 132-45 3,213,864 10/1965 Kennedy 132-45 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A HAIR CUTTER AND HEAD MOUNTED GUIDE COMBINATION COMPRISING SUPPORT FRAME MEANS ADAPTED TO BE STATIONARILY SUPPORTED FROM THE HEAD OF A PERSON WHOSE HAIR IS TO BE CUT BY SAID COMBINATION AND INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID HEAD WHEN SAID FRAME MEANS IS SUPPORTED THEREFROM, AN ARCUATE GUIDE MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED AT ONE END PORTION TO SAID FIRST PORTION FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN UPSTANDING AXIS WITH THE OTHER END PORTION OF SAID GUIDE MEMBER CURVING OUTWARDLY AND DOWNARDLY FROM SAID AXIS AND ADAPTED TO EMBRACE THE ADJACENT PORTIONS OF SAID HEAD IN SPACED RE- 